Steam Dreams 2023

Quite.

 

I see that 34046 managed to keep to the 15 minute water stop timing at Winchfield, perhaps because it used less than usual today in the dry conditions? I didn't bother to go to see it so don't know how it was being worked.

 

I saw it at Fleet Station plenty of grey smoke and not too much noise from the rear estimate speed about sixty

 

Yes, there was a lot of grey/black smoke last week on the Surrey hills run but no audible effort from 34046 on the climb to Betchworth summit. Perhaps coal quality is poor.

 

Heading through Wandsworth Town and Hook this morning:

 

Glad I didn't bother going to see it - well done for making the effort (unlike 34046!).

 

BRAUNTON trundling through Farnborough on the return journey:



Ron.

 

A couple of images of the Weymouth trip (that I have turned into Black & White due to poor light and a more 60's feel)
The reasonably unusual LE move heading away from Dorchester Junction and the climb to Bincombe No 2 Tunnel.
Also a shot showing the "minor assistance" being received from the rear by 47614. As I mentioned on the Transparency thread lots of roadside signs about fire risk in Dorset, so the assistance is I am afraid understandable.
This is far better shown the Southerner's excellent video from 9 minutes 15 onward.


Only 6 of us at the tunnel, rather than the usual crowds, the rest obviously knew more than I did.

Unusually due to the LE being held at Dorchester West the stock was taken into the station and Braunton attached there it seems. I am surprised these days attaching a steam loco in an area with unboxed live rails is not frowned upon. Most past practices seem to be banned these days.

 

Nice video and photos.
On the video, is that a tresspasser at 3:01?

 

To some, probably not. However, booking for a company called "Steam" dreams you'd expect to see a steam locomotive on the front except in the usual circumstances. It's been said that having the steam loco on as a 'show pony' probably would please people better than it not being there at all. Most company T&C's treat not having the steam on as a 'last resort'. Most passengers will just appreciate the fact the steam is there even if there is a diesel at the rear doing most of the work.

There must've been some leniency with the fire risk assessment as Braunton was allowed to go solo for the move from Yeovil to Weymouth. Ok she probably didn't have to do much, but when NR insist on such matters she probably would've had to be towed, it's happened before with other LE movements in the past when its been hot and dry.

The only good thing that would've probably come from TnT diesel yesterday is a quicker (and more direct without the need of going to Yeovil unless they did anyway for a more scenic route) trip. The timings were really surprising. 0830 start, 2336 finish. Meanwhile the RTC End of Southern Steam that does the exact same route leaves at 0845 and gets back at normally around 2200.

 

The difference, probably, is the fire risk - I imagine the 47 shoved hard up from CJ then eased off (and I noticed from the video that the signal was at yellow changing to double-yellow anyway). However, the effort seemingly wasn't very much in the 2013 video either. I didn't bother with yesterday's run because I expected little from 'Braunton'. I, too, have previously relied on the short climb away from CJ to produce some pleasing results...

 

Not certain, but it looks like a foot crossing to me, and the crew didn't seem bothered.

 

I am not sure that is the case on timings is it.
Last year it was due to leave Weymouth at 1709 and due at Waterloo via Surbiton at 2142. OK it ran late due to the track circuit failure earlier in the day, but going via Feltham adds about an hour from Woking, so by leaving at 18:36 it implies timing were speeded up to me. The last one I stewarded for the whole trip we were waiting at a red outside Victoria at 23:23 according to some images I have.

 

8mm of rain overnight here in Surrey - let's hope it's been enough to reduce the fire risk significantly, for a week or so at least.

 

Presumably a significant number of passengers still want(ed) at steam loco at the front, working or not.

 

I would be surprised if that little rain made much difference to level of risk. We need a few days of steady rain. Nothing at all down here in Purbeck, not sure about the rest of Dorset.
Of course as Tesco say "every little helps"

 

8mm is a significant amount (a third of an inch in old money). All the long vegetation in my garden is soaked today so I wouldn't be able to start a fire easily if I tried. Of course in high summer things dry out quickly again, but at the moment things are very damp. The cold front and trough that brought our rain was too far east for Dorset (and it was forecast to pep up as it got to the south-east).

 

5 mm here just east of Southampton. It would make very little difference but more forecast next week. Yes we need some long periods of rain